Chatham Town 2 v 3 Enfield Town

Saturday 19th November 2011
Ryman League Division 1 North
Maidstone Road, Chatham
Admission: £8.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 203
Match Rating: 4

Visiting the home ground of Chatham Town has proved incredibly elusive for me over the years, having been thwarted by weather conditions and late trains on previous attempts. But today would finally be the day when I would tick off my final senior football ground in Kent.

The Maidstone Road ground is about a twenty minute walk south from the town's train station, with a slight incline all the way, and it turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise considering Chatham would be far from considered my favourite Kentish town. It has a mixture of old and new, and with trees lining three sides of the pitch, the colours from which in the autumnal sunshine made for a very pleasant background. Straddling the half way line is an old-fashioned stand with bench seating throughout, whilst on the opposite side is a much smaller all-seater stand. Behind one of the goals is a large modern white building housing the bar and changing rooms, with just a few terrace stepsfor spectators to watch the action from. Behind the other goal is just hard standing, although with plenty of rubble and loose bricks scattered around that a keen health and safety officer may raise an eyebrow at. The 40 page programme covered the basics and was typical fare for the level of football, but with half the pages containing solely advertising, could hardly be considered value for money at £2.00.

Going into this game, Chatham were firmly anchored in the middle of the table, in 13th place in the 22 team league, although they are closer to the play-off places than the relegation zone. Their recent form has been quite poor, picking up just a win and a draw from their last from their last eight games. The visitors, buoyed by opening their new stadium in their home borough within the last week, are up in fourth place, four points off the leaders and have lost just two of their 15 games so far. They were unbeaten in their previous seven games, with five wins.

On a bright sunny day without a cloud in the sky, it was the visitors who settled the quickest, playing good football with some delightful touches in the opening minutes. So it was something of a surprise when it was the home side who opened the scoring on 20 minutes. Moments after they had a header cleared off the line, the ball was in the back of the net via a header off the underside of the bar - whether it was a Chatham forward or an own goal was much debated. On 31 minutes, Enfield Town were back on level terms when a quick attack was finished by Leon Osei, beating the keeper at his near post. Parity lasted just three minutes however, as Chatham went back into the lead, when a header by Jason Barton looped over the keeper and into the net. It was pretty much all Chatham now, and they had two fantastic chances to give themselves a more comfortable half time lead.

Similar to how the first half started, again it was the visitors who were in the ascendancy in the early stages of the second half, rarely looking like they could score though. However, on the hour mark came arguably the game changing moment, when an excellent throughball resulted on a run towards goal, only termined by a desperate lunge from a defender as the two entered the penalty area. A penalty was duly awarded, along with the mandatory red card for the defender, although bizarrely no action was taken against an Enfield Town player who pushed a Chatham player to the ground in the ensuing melee. The penalty was cooly converted by Liam Hope, shooting low to the left as the keeper dived the other way. 2-2, and very much game on. On 70 minutes, the visitors thought they had scored when  the ball was tapped in following a tremendous point-blank save by the keeper, but the goal was ruled out for off-side. However, on 81 minutes, Enfield Town did take the lead for the first time in the match, when a free kick from close to the corner flag was headed home by Daniel Ailey. Both teams had chances to score in the remainder of the game, but in the end it was Enfield Town who took all three points back to North London, and credit to them for coming from behind twice to eventually win the game, although the home side will kick themselves as they could and perhaps should have taken a more comfortable lead into the half-time interval.

Rhyl 0 v 0 Porthmadog

Sunday 13th November 2011
Cymru Alliance
Belle Vue, Rhyl
Admission : £6.00
Programme : £1.50
Attendance : 402
Match Rating : 3

The final game on my long weekend stay in Colwyn Bay would be on my way home. The original plan was to take in the Welsh Premiership game between Airbus UK Broughton and Afan Lido. This would not have been ideal, having to rely on Sunday buses to get to and from the ground from Chester, and happily various quirks of fate ensured that the Porthmadog v Rhyl was reversed at late notice, providing a much easier game in take in on my way home, to see two former Welsh Premiership clubs with strong ambitions to return (not always the case in Wales) in "sunny Rhyl".

The Belle Vue ground is located about 15 minutes from Rhyl town centre, slightly less from the train station and has quite an impressive and large fascia to the ground. One inside, the ground is almost completely all-seater. Behind the goal where one enters the ground is uncovered seating, with the "Legends Lounge" portakabin type building perched above. Behind the other goal is an all-seater stand. Spanning one length of the pitch is the largest all-seater stand in the ground, whereas on the other side is another all-seater stand, with the only standing areas in the ground either side of it. Unfortunately, all of the covered stands have many supporting pillars to obstruct one's view. The facilities are well in excess of what one usually encounters in the Cymru Alliance, and Belle Vue would be considered one of the best grounds in the Welsh Premiership - where they are surely destined to return sooner rather than later, having been demoted and then denied entry for off-the-pitch reasons. The 42 page programme was a good read although far overpriced at £2.00.

Today's match would be between two of the strongest teams in the Cymru Alliance. Rhyl currently sit on top of the league and have won eight games by at least four goals, twice scoring eight, and have already racked up a goal difference of plus 41 from their 11 games played. They have been formidable at home too, with a 100% record from their five games and only conceded two goals. Porthmadog sat in fourth place, just three points behind Rhyl and have only lost one league game this season - their previous game at Buckley. Porthmadog and Rhyl only played each other last week, when Rhyl triumphed 3-2 at Porthmadog in the Welsh Cup.

A good quality game was predicted between two good sides, and this quickly became apparent, and Rhyl almost took the lead on five minutes when a header hit the post. On 26 minutes, they again should have scored when the ball was blazed over from close range following a good cross. A few minutes later and they came close to scoring agaiin, when the forward beat the keeper to the header, but the ball just dropped over the bar. With the last kick of the half, Rhyl hit the post for a second time from a free-kick. Rhyl would certainly have been kicking themselves to have not scored in the first half, although Porthmadog certainly had their share of the play and also had some chances themselves.

The second half saw plenty of endeavour from both sides, again with Rhyl carving out the better chances, and roared on by a vocal and passionate support Rhyl came ever closer to scoring, but just couldn't find the goal. With five minutes remaining, Rhyl had Mark Powell sent off for a second yellow card, and in the end, both teams had to settle for a point, which no doubt the visitors would be much the happier with.

Colwyn Bay 2 v 1 Gainsborough Trinity

Saturday 12th November 2011
Conference North
Llanelian Road, Old Colwyn
Admission : £9.00
Programme : £1.50
Attendance : 436

The second game of my stay in the Colwyn Bay area was to be the "highlight" of my three planned games, to watch one of the half dozen Welsh clubs who have chosen to remain within the English non-league pyramid, in their first ever season in the Conference North.

Colwyn Bay's Llanelian Road ground is located about a half hour walk eastwards from Colwyn Bay rail station and town centre, and whilst it does not enjoy the spectacular background of many Welsh football grounds, nor any particular endearing character, it is a pleasant enough ground, with green hills either side of the ground giving a nice, rural feel. Some attractive wall murals also add a touch of uniqueness. Along one length of the pitch is an uncovered terrace of about a dozen steps, whilst along the other are two all-seater stands, with many obstructing pillars to obstruct one's view. These stands will have to be modified in the very near future, with the club recently receiving notice that they must be expanded to contain an extra row of seating to meet the required four, at an estimated cost of £30,000, or they will face demotion. It is difficult to see how these stands can be expanded. Behind one of the goals is a stand similar to the other two, again with obstructing pillars, with just one row of bench seating at the rear, and the stand is one of the lowest I can recall, very much a hazard for tall persons. Behind the other goal is hard standing, behind which is the clubhouse, changing rooms and a tea bar. In the corner there is a small all-seater stand reserved for the media. Following on from a bargain entry fee compared to what I am used to in the Conference South, the programme was also excellent value at £1.50, containing much interesting to read.

In their first season at this level having won promotion through the play-offs last season from the Northern Premier League, Colwyn Bay have had a good start to the season and were in eighth place in the league going into this game. Potential worrying signs have emerged though, as they have gained just two points from their last three games, and their manager Dave Challinor stepping down to bump up his pay packet at a club two divisions below Colwyn Bay, taking his assistant with him. Striker Jon Newby has taken over the reins for his first taste of management, and he would also play today. Gainsborough Trinity had a very good start to their season, winning five conscuive games in a purple patch between  August and September and are well inside the promotion play-off places in fourth position, although eight points behind the top two.

On a bright, sunny afternoon, from the first whistle, it was the visitors who grabbed the initiative and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, when a cross was flicked on and Leon Mettam volleyed home powerfully off the underside of the crossbar.Gainsborough went on to dominate the remainder of the first half, always threatening the most to mount attacks but rarely really troubling the Colwyn Bay defence, whilst Colwyn Bay seemed to lack cohesion and nous. A 0-1 half-time lead to the visitors was a very accurate reflection on proceedings.

From the restart, Colwyn Bay seemed to have more purpose and more desire than they had shown in the first half, and within five minutes of the restart, Colwyn Bay equalised when a cross was headed home by Lee McEvilly. By now, Colwyn Bay were looking the more threatening and urgent side, and if there were to be a winner, they looked the most likely, and indeed, with quarter of an hour remaining, they went into the lead. A scramble at the corner flag suddenly resulted in a whipped cross into the box, and Karl Noon scored with a smart near post flicked header. Gainsborough seemed to have no answer to this as they continued to barely threaten for the rest of the match, indeed it was Colwyn Bay who passed up some presentable chances to extend their lead. In the end it did not matter, as Colwyn Bay claimed an important three points, the first win of Jon Newby's reign, and Gainsborough Trinity will reflect on how they managed to lose the initiative in a game they were dominant in up to half time.

Conwy United 1 v 2 Flint Town United

Friday 11th November 2011
Cymru Alliance
Morfa Stadium, Conwy
Admission : £5.00
Programme : £1.50
Attendance : 150 (estimate)

For the first game of my long weekend based in Colwyn Bay, I soon made my way westwards along the coast to Conwy for a game in the second tier of Welsh football, between two former Welsh Premier teams in the Cymru Alliance.

The Morfa Stadium is located about a 15 minute walk westwards from Conwy rail station and town centre, and for an evening kick-off in surrounding darkness is quite an unremarkable ground, although when I returned the following day, it turned out that it has a very pleasant, typically rugged Welsh background, with steep large hills close behind one length. There is a fairly small, elevated all-seater stand straddling the half way-line, with half a dozen terrace steps either side stretching to the corner flags. On the opposite side there is a small covered standing area and straddling the half way line is a rather unusual tall and narrow, two story building that looks like it should be a regular stand but actually houses the elevated dugouts on the lower level - the top level is out of use. Behind one of the goals is a modern covered all-seater stand and behind the other goal is the clubhouse, changing rooms and a portakabin on breezeblock stilts housing rubbish such as a mattress and cupboard, all behind hard standing. The ground unsurprisingly reflects the team's fortunes on the pitch - both have had much better days, with the ground decaying very noticeably since it hosted top flight football, with many of the seats broken, the clubhouse needs a fresh lick of paint, and the back wall to the open terrace has fallen down in a couple of places . Although overpriced, the 26 page programme was a reasonable effort, with all the essential stats as well as some interesting articles too.

Having opened their season with three wins following promotion from the Welsh Alliance, Conwy then struggled somewhat, picking up just 5 points from 8 games, culminating in a 0-6 defeat to Rhyl, before winning their last game 6-2 at home to Ruthin Town. They went into this game in ninth place in the 16 team league and already seem to be settling into mid-table obscurity. Flint had a marvellous run in late August/early September, when they won six games on the bounce, but since then have picked up just one point from three games. They were three points and three places better off than Conwy, having played a game less.

On an evening with constant drizzle of varying intensity for the opening hour of the game, and with a pitch that was very bobbly as well as slippery, the first half was a poor affair, with both teams playing ugly brands of football - Flint seeming to just want to hoof the ball forward at every opportunity, whilst Conwy's passing was woeful, far too many times having passses easily intercepted. With both defences looking very solid, the goalless scoreline at half time was unsurprising, although both teams did have one golden chance to open the scoring, on 35 minutes a long range shot from fully 45 yards by Flint's Johnny Hill hit the post and a couple of minutes before half time, Conwy forced a smart save from the keeper low at his near post.

Within two minutes of the restart, the deadlock was broken when a looping cross was sent in from close to the byline, and Shaun Beck powered home a header from close range at the far post. Flint went on to have slightly the better of proceedings, and it was somewhat against the run of play when Conwy equalised, Chris Quinn scoring with a stooping header following a corner. Parity only lasted for two minutes though, as Flint went back into the lead when Jordon Brierley scored with a low shot from 25 yards into the corner. For the remainder of the game, there was plenty of huff and puff from Conwy as they attempted to score their second equaliser, but they never really convinced that they could score, and so it was Flint who claimed the away win.

Brighton and Hove Albion 2 v 0 Barnsley

Sunday 6^th November 2011

Football League Championship

Falmer Stadium, Brighton

Admission: £24.00

Programme : £3.00
Attendance : 19,841

A visit to Brighton and Hove Albion’s new stadium has been high on my hotlist ever since it opened for business at the start of this season. Availability of tickets – not that common, given the high percentage of season ticket holders and fans embracing their long-awaited new stadium with relish, together with this match being put back to the Sunday, meant that today would be the day.

 Brighton’s two previous football grounds could not have been more different - the wonderfully old-fashioned and atmospheric Goldstone Ground (to this day, feelings of disappointment bordering on anger swell up inside me when I pass the shopping complex which now stands where the ground used to be) and the Withdean Stadium (one of the most inappropriate grounds lacking atmosphere, however crucial the ground was to the club’s very existence).  

Falmer Stadium (or the American Express Community Stadium, to give it its current sponsored title), is very conveniently located next to Falmer Railway Station, meaning access is as straightforward as can be – although leaving the stadium would turn out to be a complete nightmare, with long queues for trains which were either cancelled or ridiculously short formed. The stadium is located next to the busy A27 dual carriageway – a typical location for a new stadium that would be described as bland, soulless and of the identikit variety. None of these would apply to this stadium though, which looks impressive as one approaches it and is attractively and uniquely designed on the inside and out, with a curved design which slopes downwards quite considerably from the large West Stand down to the East Stand. Thought has obviously been given to the stadium blending into the local South Downs.  Inside, the West Stand has three tiers of seating, whereas the East Stand has only one tier, and behind both goals is a small tier of seating. Curiously, the corners are not used for seating and the stands have a rather odd, unfinished look about it, as if the seating has been place there at the last minute without much thought towards incorporating it into the design of the stadium. The roofs of the stands, all joined together, allow light in, and the blue and white colours of the stadium give it a bright, airy feel, and cushioned seats together with plentiful legroom ensure a very comfortable arena to watch football in.

After a terrific start to the season since promotion from League 1, when they won six of their first seven games in all competitions, things have been rather trickier since, and have now won in their last ten games in all competitions. They found themselves in 13^th place going into today’s match. Barnsley have had a difficult start to their season, almost the opposite of Brighton’s, winning just once in their opening ten games, but then won three of their last six games, and found themselves in 17^th place. 

After a miserable last game at Watford in midweek, when they failed to even have a shot on target in a 0-1 defeat, Brighton needed a good start, which they had,  piling on early pressure in the opening minutes. They could not score an all important goal, and as the first half progressed, Brighton looked the better team, whilst Barnsley always looked capable of scoring on occasional breaks. Just as it looked like the scoreline would be goalless at half time, Brighton scored their first goal in five and a half hours of play, when defender and captain Gordon Greer scored his first goal for the club with a shot across the keeper after the ball spilled from a free-kick into the box.

Barnsley started the second half strongly and the game looked in the balance until the 56^th minute, when Ryan Harley fired home from a tight angle after Craig Mackail-Smith had hit a post. Brighton comfortably saw the game out to win 2-0, it wasn’t a vintage performance but the result was priceless in steadying the ship after their recent poor run. For Barnsley, it looks like being another season of struggle to avoid the drop

Guernsey 4 v 1 Ash United

Saturday 5th November 2011
Combined Counties League Cup 2nd Round
Footes Lane, St Peter Port
Admission: £4.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 1065
Match Rating: 4

Always one to be attracted by unusual games with something of a novelty factor, I headed off to the Channel Islands today to watch Guernsey play in their first season in the English pyramid system - indeed, the first ever team from the Channel Islands to. A visit would always be top of my hitlist once their application to join the Combined Counties League was confirmed earlier this year, and I decided to visit sooner rather than later given the risks involved in making such a journey in the winter months, together with the cynic inside me wondering how sustainable the whole "project" will be in the long term..

With suitably timed and reasonably priced flights with Flybe, together with an early 1pm kick off time, making a daytrip to the island for this game possible, I touched down at Guernsey Airport and embarked on the four mile walk across the island to St Peter Port to enjoy this very charming coastal town, before later walking twenty minutes inland to Footes Lane. Tickets can be bought online for Guernsey matches, although I chose to buy mine from the back of a minibus with doubled up as the ticket office just outside the ground. Buses are also available. Once inside, the ground, which is part of a large sports complex, is nothing to write home about sadly. It is modern, quite open to the elements, has no character and, worst of all, also has a running track around the outside meaning spectators are distant from the action, although they are allowed close behind both goals. There is one modern all-seater stand, with just hard standing around the rest of the ground. Programmes are available just outside the ground, although I had to really look hard for the seller, and such shyness was misplaced, as the programme was a superb effort, one which would not look out of place as high as the Conference National. It is 24 pages printed in all colour on glossy paper and has a really attractive design and plenty of interesting articles as well as stats to digest.

Perhaps unsurprisingly at the lowest level of senior football, Guernsey have made a very strong start to their inaugural campaign, accumulating 43 points from their 16 games so far, losing just once, when they were understrength due to commitments of many of their players with their island clubs. They have been invincible at home, winning all five of their games so far without conceding a goal - their "worst" result being a 3-0 win, and they are fourteen points clear of second placed Bedfont Sports, although they have had played four games more. They seem certainities for promotion to the Premier Division, and therefore today would be a good barometer of the quality they may face next season, with Premier Division Ash United the visitors today. However, they came to the island in a poor run of form, as they have lost their last four games and picked up just two points from their last eight games following a reasonable start to the season. They found themselves in 18th place in the Premier Division.

On an overcast and chilly autumnal afternoon, it was Guernsey who got off to a dream start, when Ryan Zico Black fired home a wonderful free-kick into the top right hand corner from 22 yards. It could have been two for Guernsey five minutes later, as Ross Allen had a shot cannon off the crossbar following a quick counter attack. It was all Guernsey during the first ten minutes, as it looked like the Ash United players allowed the occasion to get to them, but then suddenly on 12 minutes they had the opportunity to halve the deficit when they were awarded a very soft looking penalty - it looked like a dive to everyone apart from the referee. Perhaps justice was done when a woefully soft penalty was comfortable saved low to the keeper's left. This did, however seem to wake Ash up as they had the better chances to score as the first half progressed, and could probably count themselves slightly unfortunate not to be on level terms at the interval.

The game seemed very much in the balance at half time, but Guernsey gave themselves breathing space four minutes into the second half when Ross Allen slotted home after the ball ran free from a bit of a scramble in the box. Seven minutes later and it looked like game over with a real horror moment for the Ash goalkeeper, who let a fairly tame shot straight at him squirm through his hands and into the net for Kieran Mahon to score. Ash did give themselves hope just before the hour mark though, when a free kick from wide was glanced into the top corner by Lee O'Donnell. Surprisingly, the game became rather sterile after this, with Ash's sporadic attacks breaking down before a shot on goal could be unleashed whilst Guernsey seemed to be happy with what they had. Indeed, there was no further addition to the scoreline until five minutes into added on time at the end of the match, when Guernsey added a fourth.. It was another error by the keeper, when he allowed a cross shot to beat him when it looled like he had it covered. And so in the end it was Guernsey who progress to the next round with a visit to Egham Town, with a flattering scoreline. Whilst Guernsey certainly played much the better football, they gave the ball away far too often, and were possibly lucky to come against a team often resorting to rather agricultural tactics

Guernsey certainly deserve a lot of credit for what they are trying to do, and their ambition, professionalism, support and organisation are a real breath of fresh air in the Combined Counties League, a league that is characterised (with exceptions) by very low crowds, poor grounds and general disinterest. I imagine that somewhere in the Isthmian/Southern League will be there natural level if they stick to their policy of selecting players from the island, but it will be interesting to see how sustainable the project is though once the novelty wears off for players and sponsors - the huge commitment from whom Guernsey FC is totally dependent upon, not to mention from the fans.